Updated: 13 May 2026 11:31 BST |
4 min read
Manchester United will open talks with interim manager Michael Carrick over taking the job on a permanent basis, according to a report from Sky Sports.
Carrick has been acting as interim manager following the departure of Ruben Amorim in January, with the former England midfielder drafted in to guide the club through to the end of the season.
He has performed so successfully that United will open contract talks with him before the final day of the Premier League season on 24 May, Sky Sports confirms.
Man Utd’s next manager: What’s happening?
While United will open talks with Carrick, who has been the favourite to land the post for some time now, they have not totally dismissed the possibility of looking outside the club for another candidate, even at this stage of proceedings.
Carrick, however, is the man they want to talk to first about taking the role.
Man Utd’s decision makers have been left impressed by his record of 10 wins and three draws from the 15 matches that he has overseen. This has notably allowed the club to secure Champions League qualification for next season.
While the Red Devils wanted a rigorous recruitment process, talks are expected to begin between the club and the manager “within days” and it is not forecast that there will be “any significant difficulties” over the contract negotiations.
What has Carrick said?
Carrick has already made it clear that he wants the Man Utd job permanently, explaining in April that he was approaching the job with a long-term mindset.
He told Sky Sports:
“There are parts of it – and I am not being blasé when I say it – that I have known for so long. The pressure is something I have lived with for a long time.
“What’s expected here, how to go about achieving things, the amount of support we have, and the scrutiny is something that becomes normal after a while.
“It does not feel as big as it probably looks from the outside for me personally.
“I understand the situation, and where we were at when we came back in January, the plan for the rest of the season and the possibilities in the summer. I don’t think that’s changed.
“Things will get sorted when they get sorted. For me it’s just about doing the best job that we can and plan for the future and the good of the club and the players in the squad. I am not coming to get through to the end of the season and deal with what’s next.
“I think it’s important we make a plan and follow that through for the squad to get stronger. If I am part of it then I am part of it. If not, then that is the situation I walked into.”
Man Utd have two Premier League matches left to play this season, with a home encounter against Nottingham Forest followed by that trip to Brighton, by which time there is a chance Carrick could have been named as their manager for next season.
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